Started my first batch of beer last friday "brewers best American light", all is going good as of today. I was at the supply store for supplies and scored 6 3.3lb cans of Muntons amber hopped lme cheap. The cans were dented pretty bad and they couldnt sell them. I also picked up some packs of safale s-04 yeast. I want to turn this into beer..lol. I want to make 5 gallons. I am experienced in wine making and have lots of gear. Can I make a beer out of this? If so, how much do I use? Or Can I use 2 cans and corn sugar to get proper OG for 5 gallons?. I also have corn sugar. Hope this makes sense lol. Thanks

you might not need to go back to the store. 2 cans should give you 5 gallons of 1.042 - 1.051 (depending on the PPG, i'm seeing different values online). that's plenty for a nice drinkable beer, you could always use 3 cans if you want to make an imperial something or other. it's already hopped, so you're good to go there.

if you want to keep your life simple, you could simply use the cans & water. if you want to get fancy, you could add some steeping grains and make the beer more of a porter instead of an amber, or you could add some hops and make a dark IPA'ish beer.

not that i'm trying to take away your excuse for going to the store. always fun to hang out there.

Quick question. Will I need hops? These cans say "hopped amber".. sorry, new to beer...making, not enjoying..

you don't need to add hops. the extract is pre-hopped. however, if you like hops, you may want to add more. chances are the level of hopping in that can is relatively conservative. a hop-head wouldn't be satisfied, but many beer drinkers will be. if you do add your own hops, i would add them late in the boil - during the last 10 minutes, even during the last minute. this will add flavor and aroma to your beer, something that pre-hopped extract can be low on.

If those Munton's cans are anything like Cooper's Original Series (I call OS) cans,then they're bittered only,& not much at that. I used pre-hopped Cooper's OS cans with Munton's plain DME & hops to make what I wanted out of them. That's the basis of my recombinent extract recipes. So it depends on what kind of hopping the cans actually have. There site should say something of that. Otherwise,follow what I did with the Cooper's cans & it should turn out well.

Ok, I am getting a game plan together.. I will try two cans of the lme and water. I do like my beer a bit hoppy. Any advise on a hop choice and quantity? Here is my plan.. Please critique...
Bring 2.5 gallons of water to a boil.
add 2 cans of lme and return to light boil.
boil 40 minutes.
add hops, boil 10 minutes.
chill wort to 70f.
strain into primary.
add cool water to 5 gallons try and get og to between 1.042- 1.051 at 70f
pitch yeast.
ferment at 68f

If those Munton's cans are anything like Cooper's Original Series (I call OS) cans,then they're bittered only,& not much at that. I used pre-hopped Cooper's OS cans with Munton's plain DME & hops to make what I wanted out of them. That's the basis of my recombinent extract recipes. So it depends on what kind of hopping the cans actually have. There site should say something of that. Otherwise,follow what I did with the Cooper's cans & it should turn out well.

I am definitly going to try your recipes too. I will have 4 more cans to experiment with after a 2 can experiment. This will be fun..

Ok, I am getting a game plan together.. I will try two cans of the lme and water. I do like my beer a bit hoppy. Any advise on a hop choice and quantity? Here is my plan.. Please critique...
Bring 2.5 gallons of water to a boil.
add 2 cans of lme and return to light boil.
boil 40 minutes.
add hops, boil 10 minutes.
chill wort to 70f.
strain into primary.
add cool water to 5 gallons try and get og to between 1.042- 1.051 at 70f
pitch yeast.
ferment at 68f

Any tips or changes?

sounds like an excellent plan, looks like you've got all the steps there. i didn't see sanitation mentioned, but i'll assume that's all in there.

you have a 10 minute hop addition, i'd consider adding a 1 minute or zero minute (flamout) addition. an ounce for each of your two additions should make things nice and tasty.

as to which variety of hop to use, it really depends on what you like. cascade is the classic american hop, centennial is another one. go with fuggles or east kent golding if you prefer british hops. there are several over-the-top flavorful new hop varieties like citra, amarillo, simcoe, mosaic, etc that are amazing in my opinion (but i like my hops intense). ask the guys at the supply shop for their opinion, they're always good for advice.